When a follower tweeted, "Tell me your next one is the new Star Wars!", Bird replied: "Nope. A science fiction film. Not Star Wars." He later added: "That said, Michael Arndt is a fantastic writer and Kathy Kennedy is a brilliant producer. I will be first in line to see the new Star Wars."

Arndt, the Oscar-winning writer of Toy Story, was announced as the screenwriter for Episode 7 last week. Kathleen Kennedy is the newly appointed head of Lucasfilm following the Disney purchase and Star Wars creator George Lucas's decision to step away from the series.

British director Matthew Vaughn was recently rumoured to be in talks to helm the first film in the new trilogy, while Steven Spielberg and Star Trek's JJ Abrams have also ruled themselves out. The stars of the original trilogy, Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) and Harrison Ford (Han Solo), have all been tipped to return to the series.